


Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums

by Sonzaishinai



Series: The Owl’s Music Prompts [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types, Superman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types, Superman/Batman (Comics)
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Bodily harm done to romantic partner, Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums by A Perfect Circle, Dark, Dictator Kal El, Emotional Manipulation, Evil!Superman, Implied Sexual Content, Implied abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kal is fucking delusional, M/M, Music prompt, Nothing actually happens regarding the sexual content but it's implied towards the end, Suicidal Thoughts, Writing Prompt, evil clark kent, song prompt, sorry Bruce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 07:05:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16760329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonzaishinai/pseuds/Sonzaishinai
Summary: He wanted to leave. He wanted out. He wanted to die.Kal made sure to take those options away from him, and when he'd already taken everything else and left Bruce with nothing, he took his choice to defy him as well.He wishes he never boarded that fucking cruise ship years ago. He wishes he never trusted Superman.He wishes he never fell in love with Clark Kent.





	Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums

**Author's Note:**

> Ayeee waddup its ya boy Sonza, I'm on a stress writing spree and I'm about to rip my a whole in my laptop with my bare hands because I fucking had to redo the whole "Create new work" bullshit twice since it kept crashing on me. Life's fucking fine and dandy actually, I'm surprisingly passing all my classes with an A and cross country is finished but I fucked up my knee during my turkey trot and now I can't do shit for a while. Surprisingly haven't found a lot of time to work on stuff or even check up on this account. Got a shit ton of HW and someone wants me to write their graduation speech for em without giving away the fact that it wasn't them who wrote it. Life's swell. Pissed tho cuz I been falling asleep more and more frequently as of late without warning or being able to stop my drowsiness so like- yeah, it's been getting in the way and like this bitch ass of a body doesn't even listen to me. I mean, Ik I need more sleep but like... can't u wait till ur done with everything u gotta do bitch, like damn. 8 hours of sleep ain't gonna be worth shit if ur failing ur fuckin classes.
> 
> Today's prompt was "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums" by a Perfect Circle. Next will be "Lifeline" by Thousand Foot Krutch. Suggest u give these songs a listen cuz some of em are actually lit and work well w the ship.
> 
> I was gonna have "Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down but I made the playlist like two weeks ago so I'm dead set on the shit already on there, though I might make another playlist in the future to work with.
> 
> Didn't know what to make for today, originally, I actually decided to go with a simple drawing cuz I'm a shitty artist and then I made up today's writing portion when I saw a couple of girls almost get run over while fighting in the middle of the road yesterday. Don't know how they have the time for that, actually, it was five PM, the sky was already dark, and school ended like 3 hours prior, like, yall dont have hw or something? 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy, all mistakes are mine cuz I hate proofreading, sorry.

His body ached with numbness even as he sat atop the warmed bed in the crystalline fortress; a deep, resonating void that had made its home in his heart.

Sometimes he looks at the past and thinks, “Where did everything go wrong?”

Sometimes he looks at his tormentor and believes it was never right, to begin with.

An electronic whirring sounds from behind him, at the entrance to the room. A voice just as devoid of emotion states, “Sir, dinner is almost ready. I ask that you make your way to the dining room.” He barely paid it any mind. Still, though, he obeyed.

For its wording, he never really had a choice. It wasn’t a question any longer; it was a demand. Make your way to the dining room. He has long been deprived of choice in this fucking prison.

As quickly as the rage roared in his heart, it was extinguished. The residing effects of blood sounding as it pounded through his skull left him as he stood. He had to make his way over to the dining room before Kal got mad at him.  
  
^(OvO)^

The silence, ironically, was deafening. There was no conversation, a tense atmosphere settling between the two that the Kryptonian’s senses seemed to be fully oblivious to.

Sometimes, Bruce found himself devoid of any care; the thin line of caution that kept him alive in the face of that monster. He finds himself swelling with confidence. With the urge to oppose his oppressor.

And yet, the very thought sends trembles through his wake, and he loses all hope all over again.

Perhaps he loses hope.

Perhaps he was never given any in the first place.

Across the table from Bruce, Kal sat calmly, sifting through documents on his advanced technology. Technology unrivaled by that of any human creation.

‘Technology,’ Bruce thought, ‘that’ll forever bar my escape.’

Damn him if he dies here, a bitch to this alien, undignified in any manner of that which he’d been before. Even if any surge in emotion allowed him a reprieve of the control held high above his head, he couldn’t do shit. Will be damned, he knew determination wasn’t going to get him out of here. He’d never make his way out, not with Kal still alive in his tracks, not with the sheer mention of a rebellion in his head sending a stab of fear into his very being. Fuck him for being so fucking weak- so- so idiotic!! To hold trust so casually and- having it ripped away like a bandaid off of skin was devastating. He should have seen the signs…

Without any notice of them, tears spilled over Bruce’s cheeks, wetting the tablecloth as he sat still, shaking, even.

Kal, however, took immediate notice and the smooth sliding of a chair and a couple of strides was all it took for him to reach his lover’s side, hand wiping away at the tears and dabbing the corners of his little kitten’s eyes as they reddened and as his brows furrowed further.

A quick flick of a wrist and Bruce was sending the palm farther from his face, screaming out with sudden rage, “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!!”

And in an instant, regret seemed to overcome his features and he was holding both hands cupped over his mouth, eyes wide before he shrunk into his chair, legs up to his chest and arms up as if to block an oncoming blow, whispering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” repetitively in fear.

To see his partner so distressed, well, Kal was anything but angry. Rather, he was more worried about his beloved. The strong-willed Dark Knight of Gotham reduced to a shivering mess of apologies? Why, if he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes, he’d have not believed it at all.  
  
So, instead, he stayed unmoving and waiting out Bruce’s episode, kneeling, still, beside his seat, and, when Bruce had come out of his little ball of defense, he reached out a hand again, testing as it fell against his beloved’s hair and stroked it all back against his scalp, giving him that rugged look he always loved on the human.

“Darling,” he started, and Bruce flinched momentarily, “this isn’t going to work well between us, you realize, if you keep being so uncooperative.” A frown graced his features and, before him, Bruce seemed to spike in rage again.  
  
“Uncooperative…?” The whisper escaped his beloved’s lips, laced with hurt and anger all the same. “You…,” he was almost shaking and stuttering with emotion, “Y-you fucking took…m-my entire FAMILY away from me!! YOU KILLED MY BOYS AND MADE ME WATCH!! ALFRED AND CASSANDRA- THEY NARROWLY ESCAPED BEFORE THEY FUCKING DIED OUT AND YOU’RE ACCUSING ME OF BEING UNCOOPERATIVE?!”

With no transition, Bruce’s voice had escalated from a soft whisper to that of a roar, unleashing all the hurt he held inside.

He received a backhand for it.

“Watch your tongue, Bruce,” Kal responded, a sneer encompassing his visage, “You keep this behavior up and it’ll be another city that’s added to the blood on your hands, do you understand?” The threat was uttered with irritation as if Kal was a parent telling his child that he’ll have no cookies for his tantrum.

A hand shot down onto the table, leaving an imprint of Kal’s palm before the fortress began reconstructing it. “I asked, do. You. Under. Stand?” His tone enraged Bruce, but the human could no longer afford to endanger anyone within the vicinity of Kal’s powers.

“No,” he replied, “I-I don’t want anyone else hurt…”

It was so sweetly complicit that Bruce could gag. If his family could see him now, they’d be disgusted, utterly enraged with the fact that Bruce didn’t make to rebel against Kal’s reign over him. He hated it, god he wanted to fucking die but Kal now had access to the Lazarus pits and- god- he wanted to leave- he- he couldn’t fucking do this anymore-

-and the tears began flowing down his cheeks again, head pounding with the stress and grief of it all. Kal’s hand came to brush his hair again, caressing the back of his neck as both a reminder of his deadly affection and the things he could do to Bruce or others if Bruce dared to defy him.

“Communication,” Kal casually muttered, “is the key to a healthy relationship.” A soft smile shot at his direction and Bruce could almost see the man he loved again. _No. He was never there, to begin with_ , he corrected.

“See how we can so easily come to an agreement when we are open with each other, darling? Now, it’s getting late. Why don’t we go to bed?” The soft smile soon turned predatory and lecherous.

This world’s God has abandoned it. Abandoned Bruce.

Nodding, Bruce let himself get carried to their room. After all, “no” was no longer an option.

He wishes he never fell in love with Clark Kent.

[Counting Bodies Like Sheep To the Rhythm of the War Drums by A Perfect Circle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBy0dzUzHUk)

**Author's Note:**

> Ayeee waddup its ya boy Sonza, I'm on a stress writing spree and I'm about to rip my a whole in my laptop with my bare hands because I fucking had to redo the whole "Create new work" bullshit twice since it kept crashing on me. Life's fucking fine and dandy actually, I'm surprisingly passing all my classes with an A and cross country is finished but I fucked up my knee during my turkey trot and now I can't do shit for a while. Surprisingly haven't found a lot of time to work on stuff or even check up on this account. Got a shit ton of HW and someone wants me to write their graduation speech for em without giving away the fact that it wasn't them who wrote it. Life's swell. Pissed tho cuz I been falling asleep more and more frequently as of late without warning or being able to stop my drowsiness so like- yeah, it's been getting in the way and like this bitch ass of a body doesn't even listen to me. I mean, Ik I need more sleep but like... can't u wait till ur done with everything u gotta do bitch, like damn. 8 hours of sleep ain't gonna be worth shit if ur failing ur fuckin classes.
> 
> Today's prompt was "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums" by a Perfect Circle. Next will be "Lifeline" by Thousand Foot Krutch. Suggest u give these songs a listen cuz some of em are actually lit and work well w the ship.
> 
> I was gonna have "Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down but I made the playlist like two weeks ago so I'm dead set on the shit already on there, though I might make another playlist in the future to work with.
> 
> Didn't know what to make for today, originally, I actually decided to go with a simple drawing cuz I'm a shitty artist and then I made up today's writing portion when I saw a couple of girls almost get run over while fighting in the middle of the road yesterday. Don't know how they have the time for that, actually, it was five PM, the sky was already dark, and school ended like 3 hours prior, like, yall dont have hw or something? 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy, all mistakes are mine cuz I hate proofreading, sorry.


End file.
